I am so grateful
that we have been blessed with so many healing herbs and
plants... and especially the calming herbs... for last week
I sure needed a cup of strong calming
tea! Yes, I had just gone through one of those incidents that
greatly
increased my need to de-stress. Allow me to elaborate.
Have You ever got
a ride in a
police car or a fire engine with the siren blasting so loud it is about
to make
You deaf and all the other cars moving out of the way? Well,
I
didn't exactly get a ride in a police car nor fire engine, I was riding
in my
own car when suddenly during a very heavy rain my alarm went off and
was
blasting so loud it was about to make me deaf.
At first I did
not
understand it was my car's alarm. I thought it was someone
else's... so,
I was trying to get away from this noise, but when it kept persistently
following me, I figured it must be my alarm and not someone
else's.
Goodness,
it just did not shut up! It kept blasting. I drove as fast
as the
allowed speed-limit in the city... well, a wee bit faster... to my car
repairers. They were not able to help me, except to send me to
the other
end of the city to a guy who could help me. So, I took off with
the
blasting alarm, loudly announcing to everyone my approach. It was
the
worse to stand behind the traffic lights, waiting for the green
- everyone
was looking at me... some cars were moving away from my way... I
thought,
well, that sure is a way to make an entrance - with siren blasting all
over the
place.
I even passed two
police
cars... but I guess they could not figure out which car was causing the
disturbance... as there was nothing else abnormal: my lights were
not blinking
nor was I driving crazy. So, at least I was not stopped by a
police! I could imagine them trying to question me in a sign
language, as
I could not have heard their voices. To keep sane in this
hullabaloo, I
stuffed my ears with some cotton, on top of which I
squeezed earplugs, in order to listen to something uplifting... in
a very
loud voice!
To top it all
off, I got
lost... which is not that uncommon with me... so, I had to make 3
phone-calls
to finally find the private car repairers. Each time I had to
stop the
car, jump out and run to a distance from my blasting vehicle where I
could hear
something. Sure enough, I was a center of attention every
time! When I finally found the place, thank God, the man was able
to
silence my car in less than 10 minutes. Some wires had
united that
shouldn't have been, causing the terrible hullabaloo... but that is
technical
stuff that I do not understand, so I can't explain it.
So, I guess You
understand my
gratefulness and relief to get back home and de-stress with a lovely
cup
of calming tea... in a calming bath! It works, You know!
Do you have
stress in your life?
If left untreated, stress can be a serious health hazard that affects
both
mental and physical wellbeing. Excessive stress robs the body of
nutrients, harms the cardiovascular system, and lowers the
effectiveness of the
immune system.
Psychologically,
stress can induce
depression, anxiety, anger, fear, and other negative patterns.
How well
do you deal with stress? What can you do?
Thomas Stearns
Lee, NMD, suggests the
use of herbs that can reduce or even eliminate some of the negative
effects of
stress. He says that some herbs are the best treatment for
physical
ailments, while others work better for psychological problems.
Although
he suggests that we manage our emotions and learn to master our
reactions to
stress in order to really "cure" stress, in the meanwhile, herbs can
definitely help. Here are some very useful tips from dr.Lee:
If you are under pressure and
you feel
your heart racing while your breathing becomes more rapid,
you may feel better quickly with the use of Hawthorne
berries and Linden flowers in
capsules or as teas.
If the stress affects your
digestive
system, try Chamomile or Peppermint.
For tight shoulders,
use Valerian,
which will also help with occasional insomnia.
Feverfew and Willow bark will help with tension
headaches and stress-related migraines.
If your nervous system has been
stretched to the limit, use Oats. As
a food or in the form of oatstraw tea,
oats
will nourish the nervous system.
Herbs that will
help the body achieve
balance are said to have adaptogenic
properties. For
example,
Ginseng can
help strengthen the body's systems for handling
stress.
The result
is that you can train up to handle stress better next time, while a
stimulant
only gets you over a hurdle for the short term.
No amount of
medicine is going to make
the stress events different in our lives, but we can usually handle the
physical effects of stress better with the intelligent use of herbs.
If these tips
don't work well enough
to help in your particular pressure-cooker of a life, dr. Lee suggests
we work
with an experienced Naturopathic Physician to get things understood and
changed
for the better. A good
Magnesium and Vitamin B supplement
might help
too.
Modern science is
validating our older
natural medicines as being just as effective today, and they usually
turn out
to be safer than modern drugs. Head your problems off with gentle
natural
medicines before they rob you and your family of a good quality of life.
Essential
Oils that Help Relieve Stress
In
her book Aromatherapy
Solutions, Veronica Sibley suggests the
following essential oils to use against stress and its various forms:
Angelica ( Angelica
archangelica) to relieve fatigue, migraines,
nervous stress, health problems caused by stress;
Benzoe (Styrax bezoin)
for mild depression and sadness, to calm
and lift the spirits;
Coriander
(Coriandrum sativum) for migraines, neuralgia, stressed out nervous
system;
Galban
(Ferula galbaniflua) to relieve stress;
Greipfruit
(Citrus paradisi) to relieve depression and lift the spirits;
Ginger
(Zingiber officinale) to alleviate nervous exhaustion;
Jasmin
(Jasminum Grandiflorum) to relieve depression, lift the spirits,
balance
emotions, increase self-confidence;
Lime
(Citrus aurantifolia) to relieve anxiety and depression;
Majoram
(sweet) (Origanum majorana) to calm, alleviate muscle spasms, migraines
and
pain;
Milfoil (yarrow)
(Achillea millefolium) to relieve insomnia, high
blood pressure and problems caused by stress;
Pine
(Pinus sylvestris) for nervous exhaustion and fatigue;
Neroli
(Citrus aurantium var. amara) to increase self-confidence and
self-respect, to
relax and efficiently relieve mental and emotional stress;
Sandalwood (Santalum album)
to enjoy calm and deep meditation, to
relax, to relieve depression, stress and fear;
Tangerine (Citrus
reticulata) for nervous stress;
Valerian (Valeriana
officinalis) to relieve insomnia, migraines,
unrest and nervous stress;
Warning:
when You buy essential oils, make sure they are pure, preferably
organic and
not synthetic. Many over-the-counter essential oils are synthetic
and may
cause more health problems than benefits.
How
to use: Place one or two
drops of the chosen essential oil on the
palm of Your hands and inhale. You can rub the oil into Your
wrists and
into the soles of Your feet. The oil will travel in seconds to
other
parts of Your body, causing the calming effect.
For
a calming bath, mix about 10 drops of the essential oil in milk (as
essential
oils do not mix with water), pour into Your bath water... enjoy.
If
this article was helpful to You and You would like to share it with
someone else, You are more than welcome to copy it. But You are
requested to add my name - Eve Juurik- and my website address - http://www.TheSpringOfLife.net
- to the article. All the material is copyrighted. Thank
You!
Many
blessings & success to You,
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